New York Mets right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard to reportedly begin his minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday.
The New York Mets are that much closer to getting one of their starting pitchers back to full health.
According to a report from Anthony DiComo of mlb.com, right-handed pitcher Noah Syndergaard will begin his minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday. He’ll pitch for Class-A Brooklyn.
This means Syndergaard could return as early as Sunday’s game at Citi Field against the Atlanta Braves. First pitch of that game would be at 7:08 p.m. ET.
Syndergaard landed on the 10-day injured list after suffering a low-grade hamstring strain against the Saint Louis Cardinals on June 15. The Mets place him on the IL the following day.
Syndergaard was scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, however, the Mets will have Walker Lockett start in his place. The Mets promoted Lockett last week to replace Syndergaard in a game last Thursday in which he was scheduled to start.
In that initial replacement game for Lockett, the young pitcher gave up six runs in 2.1 innings. The Mets fell to the Cubs 7-4 in that meeting. The organization is optimistic that Lockett will produce more on the mound on Tuesday in Philadelphia. The Phillies are one of the teams ahead of the Mets in the NL East division.
Syndergaard is posting a 5-4 record this year with an earned run average of 4.55 in 15 starts. He’s not pitching as well as he could be this year. However, the Mets are still hoping he’ll be able to return to the mound as soon as possible. They’re approaching the midway point of the season and need all the help they can get right now.
New York needs to start winning ballgames and doing it consistently as they’re nine games out of first place. The Mets currently stare at a 37-41 record with 84 games left to play this year.
